But during her eight years in the United States, no one told her the biblical story behind Christmas -- until this year. On Sunday, Yuan celebrated the birth of Jesus for the first time by immersing herself in the baptismal waters at Chinese Christian Union Church.

She emerged a newborn Christian.

"I have peace in my heart and joy," the 41-year-old seamstress said through a translator. "I'm giving the heavy burdens to Jesus."

Beneath the pagodalike rooftop of the only church in the heart of Chinatown, Yuan and 13 others have prepared to celebrate their first Christmas as baptized Christians during the weekly Cantonese worship service. Yuan's baptismal class was one of the largest in the history of the church, founded in 1903 by Presbyterian, Baptist and Congregationalist missionaries.

The church has since evolved into a neighborhood center. In 1993, it purchased and converted the neighborhood's only historical landmark, now known as the Pui Tak Center, a Chinese term that means "cultivating virtue." There, immigrants can enroll in English classes for adults, Chinese classes for children and after-school tutoring.

It was the ocean separating Yuan from her husband in China that brought her to the church's doorstep. Social worker Sarah Lau said problems Yuan had during an interview with immigration officers had indefinitely delayed the couple's reunion.

When Yuan and her 2-year-old daughter, Mandy, arrived in Lau's office during the summer, the single mother suffered from headaches, insomnia and depression.

"I tried to encourage her," Lau said. "'Don't overburden yourself. You have to take care of your daughter. You have to make a living here.'"

Lau invited Yuan to the church's annual gospel camp, a retreat designed to give immigrants a chance to rest, to contemplate their spirituality and to learn about Christ. Yuan accepted Christ as her savior after just one day, and for the first time in a while, Yuan said, she enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep.

"She was so ready and so open and sticks to it," Lau said. "It's a childlike faith. She has such a heart to know more and learn."

Unable to speak or read English, Yuan reads a Cantonese translation of the Bible, attends classes every Sunday and worships with a Cantonese congregation. The church offers worship services in English and Mandarin as well.

Though not Christian, her relatives in the U.S. and in China support her conversion, she said. Here, her family sees a healthy physical transformation. From China, her husband hears the joy in her voice.

A safe haven for immigrants

In the past, many immigrants from Communist China came to the U.S. with a bias against religion. Many have either grown up under a regime that rejected religion or have been raised practicing indigenous religions that scholars say center on honoring idols or natural forces rather than on human emotions such as love.

But that antipathy gradually has softened, said Rev. Michael Green, the church's English-language pastor. For many immigrants, churches offer a safe haven where unconditional love is available and felt for the first time, he said.

"Many find for the first time in their life love and acceptance," Green said. "They find the answers to these fundamental questions that people have found in Christianity for 2,000 years. Such a recognition that we're part of something bigger, that's phenomenally transforming for people."

Rev. Virstan Choy, interim director of the Center for Asian American Ministries at McCormick Theological seminary, said Chinese immigrants are drawn to Christianity for a number of reasons.

"There are elements of Christianity that speak to their cultural DNA," Choy said. The story of a son who made the ultimate sacrifice for his father strikes a chord with those raised to revere their elders and ancestors, otherwise known as the Confucian principle of filial piety. Christ's teachings also appeal to Chinese pragmatism and the pursuit of excellence, he said.

But for Yuan, it's not that complex. She simply fell in love with Jesus and saw the chance to become a new woman.

The Cantonese congregation has always celebrated the baptism of new members at the same time they celebrate the birth of Jesus.

To prepare, they learn the Scripture at the heart of the holiday, the second chapter of Luke that tells the story of how Joseph led his pregnant wife Mary to Bethlehem, where she brought forth her firstborn son, whom she wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lay in a manger; because there was no room at the inn.

A story that resonates

The new believers hear how an angel came before the shepherds and announced the birth of a savior in a manger, and how the shepherds came to see the baby and deliver the angel's proclamation of the miraculous birth.

The story speaks to Yuan, who considers her daughter a miracle, born to her at age 39, conceived on a trip to China to visit her husband. By then, she had given up hope for a child. Now her daughter and her church have taught her the concept of "blessings."

"I love her so much," she said. 'This baby is a great present from God."

The story also resonates because Yuan can experience the joy of Jesus' birth shared by Christians around the world. She will not only join in the festivities, but know their meaning.

On Sunday, Yuan donned a white gown and with bare feet ascended a narrow staircase to the church's baptismal pool. Gripping the pastor's arm with both hands, she let him plunge her into the water. As she resurfaced, she wiped the water from her face and smiled.

"Today is a like a holiday," she said moments later, dripping from head to toe. "It's like having two Christmases."